Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 7: There is much need for debate on merits and demerits of Article 370 granting separate status to Jammu and Kashmir instead of its legal and Constitutional validity.
This was asserted by the former Union Minister, Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta while commenting upon the controversy over the various aspects of this provision. He pointed out, this has been there in the statue book for over six decades but the ground reality is that Article 370 has proved more detrimental as far as interests of people of State are concerned, not to say of other countrymen.
Prof. Gupta said that Article 370 provided unbridled powers to the ruling class who have been playing foul with rights of the people, so much so the elections were not fair and many people saw the ballot paper only in 1972 after when the jurisdiction of Election Commission of India was extended to this State. The players of this foul themselves confessed but when they were out of power. They also included the founders of Article 370 like Sheikh Abdullah. The extent of misuse of the separate status that it was only in 2002, the government of the State was changed through ballot and confidence in democratic process was restored, he added.
Prof Gupta said in the absence of the provisions of Indian Constitution the basic democratic rights of the people, the Panchayats, local bodies and even other basic democracies like that of Cooperatives have been made institutions of mockery.
Prof. Gupta further said because of the Article 370 and separate Constitution the industrial growth has been badly affected resulting in backwardness, unemployment and so many other problems like that of mounting dependence at the Centre and even increasing imports.
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